Do you like the forest, but are too impatient for hiking? Do you like to speed through the trees with the birds and the bees? Maybe you should come run trails with me! AT CREEKATHON! I’ve never explored the trails at walnut creek, so I’m excited to hit the dirt with a couple of ODC’s most enthusiastic trail runners! We …
**CALLING ALL BOARD GAME NERDS** That’s right, welcome to what I think is ODC’s inaugural board game themed trip. Take a break from the various crunchy activities of creekathon to play some Catan. This is an intermediate/advanced trip, so I don’t plan to teach anyone who has never played but if there is a lot of demand I will do …
Join us for pancake pony magic AKA intermediate backpacking at Grayson Highlands! We will embark on a magical, 20.1 mile, 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip over fall break. Yes there will be pancakes. Yes there will be ponies. Yes there will even be some frolicking. Since this is a three day trip, you should have a little backpacking experience. …
We are doing a sport climbing trip to Reed’s Creek! It’s 2-2.5 hours away. WE NEED A DRIVER SO THEY’LL GET PRIORITY OFF THE WAITLIST. To make it easier for everyone, please text me at 571-331-0634 after you sign up so we can figure out an exact place to meet! Plan: Meet at 7 AM. Leave Cville by 7:30 AM. …
Chimney tops sounds preeeetty insane doesn’t it… Well, it seems to look preeeetty insane as well but I think this is something to check out for ourselves! I was doing some research-y search and some how stumbled upon this gem in West Virginia near Dolly Sods. This is a 5.3 mile out and back hike and is said to be …
Ah, Old Rag. The crown jewel of hikes that are kinda near to Charlottesville. Love it or hate it, you’re only wrong if you hate it. Its almost been six months since I last hiked it so I’m getting itchy for it. The hike itself is about 9 miles, with a very decent uphill section. Please make sure you have …
Hey you. You’ve heard of backpacking. You’ve probably heard of swimming too. But… have you ever considered combining the two? A while ago I was doing my usual “research” on combining random outdoor sports, and I discovered that there are people who put all their backpacking stuff in a dry bag, tie it to themselves, and swim long distances. I …
Do YOU want to escape from an ever-growing sense that life is meaningless?! Well, hopefully not, because I’m not a licensed therapist, nor is this hike. However, I do find that tearing it up a mountain (safely, of course), taking in some scenic views, and then getting home with those sweet, sweet endorphins can be quite a relaxing experience. This …
We want to go sport climbing at the Reeds Creek on Sunday! It’s a 2-2.5 hour drive from Cville. To make it easier for everyone, please text me at 571-331-0634 after you sign up so we can figure out an exact place to meet! The plan is to leave Cville at around 7 A.M., get to the area by 9-9:30, …
We want to go sport climbing at the New this weekend! It’s about a 3 hour drive from Cville. To make it easier for everyone, please text me at 571-331-0634 after you sign up so we can figure out an exact place to meet! The plan is to leave Cville at around 7 A.M., get to the Fayetteville area by …
Hi Everyone, I’m Alan, for those of you I haven’t met yet my background is mostly skiing based, but with some experience mountain biking at Snowshoe a few years ago, I decided to pick up daily mountain biking over the summer and its been an absolute blast. Since then I’ve ripped a ton of Ohill trails and Max and I …
Who: It is I, Joseph, the officer you don’t know from the emails What: Backpacking When: Sept. 24-25 Where: ‘Bout an hour away https://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/MillsCreek/ Why: Touch grass Merhaba, Well I haven’t led a trip in a while nor have I gotten out much recently for other reasons so why not do some light backpacking. Mills creek sounds like a fun …
ATTENTION CREEKERS!!! (NOTE: YOU MUST BE SIGNED UP FOR CREEKATHON TO GO ON THIS TRIP) Whether you’re new to mountain biking or a common trailblazer, Walnut Creek Park has trails for us all! I’m only an intermediate mountain biker at best so don’t feel intimidated and you can bet I’ll be hiking (hence the title) steep ascents with my trusty …
**THIS TRIP IS A COMPLIMENTARY ONE TO JADE’S** YOU WILL NOT GET OFF THIS WAITLIST UNLESS I SEE YOU ARE ON THE OTHER WAITLIST (aka u just gotta be on both trips to actually attend) Hello my whitewater hooligans! I want to take some people down the Upper Gauley because it is literally THE best rafting you can do in …
LISTEN UP FOLKS! It’s that time of year again. Time to make the winding journey down country (Albermarle county) roads to the place where dreams come true, where the sun shines forever, and where the Virginia red clay squelches abundantly. CREEK – A – THON definition: the most creeked, creeking creek-a-licious, creektastic, creek hangout, cookout, shredout, and headout of the …
GAULEY FEST CLIMBING! **THIS TRIP IS A COMPLIMENTARY ONE TO JADE’S** YOU WILL NOT GET OFF THIS WAITLIST UNLESS I SEE YOU ARE ON THE OTHER WAITLIST (aka u just gotta be on both trips to actually attend) We are gonna go sport climbing whilst the paddlers do their paddling things, then we are all gonna bool. Sounds like a …
Paxton’s cave is one of the largest and most popular maze caves in Virginia. It has many miles of complex, tightly wound passageways that often feel like you’re walking through a giant slot canyon maze. We are super excited to go back and take more people this time. I have marked this cave as intermediate because there is one fairly …
Shalom my brothers and sisters, I’ve been thinking about doing the triple crown, so I mentioned this sentiment to the infamous “Max StClair” and he was like “hell yea bruther” but then we were forced to contemplate: do we spread this monster of a hike over two days or do we do the unthinkable and SEND IT IN ONE DAY? …
what is upppppp friends. spend your fine saturday morning running/hiking/moving in the woods with me! i havent done rip rap or turk mountain before so why not attempt to squish em together into one! i know its early but getting up and doing the damn thing feels so good. heres the strava for the route! its ~16 miles with 4,000 …
Never heard of BRS? The Blue Ridge School is located super close to Charlottesville and maintains top notch mountain bike trails that are open to the public. Seriously, if you think O’Hill, Ragged, or Preddy are awesome, the Blue Ridge School will blow your mind. I’ve been several times and each time was a blast. I plan to ride around …
Hellos outdoors people We are gonna set a couple of slacklines across the river this Saturday at 9 am. It will be set at the place where Meadow creek meets the Rivanna river, right where the rope swing is at. We will meet at 9 am in the parking lot of Darden Towe park and then head to the spot, …
Hey there ;)))))))))))))))))))))))) Are you sick of being on waitlists and not being on trips? Do you have cool ideas of ways to get outside with your friends? Are you generally competent at being a human being? Do you want your DUES REIMBURSED???? If the answer to these questions is yes, SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP! This will be a …
(No priests will be tackled in the tackling of The Priest.) Finally returning to one of my favorite trails! I hiked The Priest in January when it was covered in snow, and I’ve been itching to come back once it’s green and warm (and I don’t have to trudge through waist-high snowdrifts). If you like a challenge, this is for …
Tuesday morning trail runnin’ I feel like the title might say it all! We are going to go for a nice woodsy run Tuesday morning. I was thinking we could be slightly more creative and get a little more mileage than just running the 5.5 mile loop around the res, so this run is gonna start from the lovely Creekside …
Hey y’all!! I wanted to get out to Ragged sometime soon, so this is a trip for that. **We need drivers. Drivers get priority off the waitlist (but do not get reimbursed for gas because it’s only a 10 min drive) Personally, I’m going to run the loop (which is approx. 6 miles), but if you’d like to hike it …
Hey guys! Back to school means back to lovely West Virginia cragging days. We are gonna go out to Reed’s Creek, WV early Saturday morning at 6:30 am (about 2 hrs away) and crag for awhile before coming back to cville that evening. We will probably head back around 4:30 or 5 pm. Reed’s Creek (https://www.mountainproject.com/area/109444384/reeds-creek) is a sport climbing …
Hello you swimmin sturgeons >-000:) The time has come to once again begin the rituals of fall paddling! We’re planning on paddling the upper and lower falls of the James with rapids ranging from class I-III. This trip is geared towards semi-confident class III paddlers and above who are looking to brush off some cobwebs and gear up for the …
Ever want to try free soloing without the anxiety that comes with putting your life in imminent danger? May I present to you: Deep Water Soloing. Basically, the climbs are right next to 10+ feet deep water that will catch you when you’re done climbing or happen to fall on your way up. We’re lucky enough that we live only …
Welcome back to class odc friends!! Join me for some star gazing special time this Tuesday night at Ragged mountain reservoir. This is a fantastic opportunity to float around and contemplate the wonderful year ahead. We’ll drive to ragged, walk to the water (like ¼ of a mile from parking lot to water), hop in, swim a little, and then …
We are doing a sport climbing trip to Birdsboro Quarry! It’s located about an hour west of Philadelphia. IMPORTANT: THIS TRIP IS NOT INTENDED TO BE FOR BEGINNERS! YOU SHOULD AT THE VERY LEAST BE ABLE TO LEAD BELAY AND/OR CLEAN ROUTES. ALSO IMPORTANT: WE WILL NOT BE LEAVING FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE LIKE MOST OTHER TRIPS. THE PLAN IS TO LEAVE …
Hello outdoors people We are doing a slackline practice this Tuesday at Darden Towe Park at 5pm. We will be setting a waterline on the Rivanna river right next to the rope swing. So bring your swim suit and come do some slack line with us, there will also be a couple lines on ground for those who like to …
Hello outdoors people We are doing a slackline practice this Wednesday at Darden Towe Park at 5pm. We will be setting a waterline on the Rivanna river right next to the rope swing. So bring your swim suit and come do some slack line with us, there will also be a couple lines on ground for those who like to …
Hello fellow Old Rag lovers! (If you were wondering, that picture is indeed the Old Rag trail in January) Did your professors assign final projects instead of final exams, and now you have way too much free time during finals week? Or if you do have finals, would you like to procrastinate with me? If you answered yes, then perhaps …
Take a little break from studying to bop on up to Hawksbill Summit: a super quick 1.5-mile out and back trail that is relatively steep on the way up but should allow for a nice distraction from the stress of finals. I’m thinking we acquire some foods from Trader Joe’s, get to the summit a little before sunset, have a …
With spring in full swing, it’s time to get on some bikes and shred some trails. We will be doing a ~5 mile loop around the perimeter of the Reservoir at Ragged Mountain Natural Area. While the trail isn’t super technical, the reservoir is about 3.5 miles away, so it will be about 12 miles total of biking so make …
Hey there gorge-ous girls – come spend this Saturday touching some rocks with me and Shatatayququqa in the gorge-ous New River Gorge! Plus- get to spend the night in a cozy cabin right near the cliffs courtesy of Shay’s folks. Yayayay! The plan is to head out of Cville at 5 on Friday evening and drive the ~3 hours up …
Touted as the best climbing east of the Mississippi, the Red River Gorge is well worth the drive! It has a truly enormous number of climbs, a wide range of grades, and has sport, trad, and aid routes. The sandstone at the Red makes for some *chef’s kiss* delectable climbing. On this extended weekend adventure, we will head over to …
Marshall’s cave is an awesome cave that neither Aidan nor I have been to before. We are working to expand our knowledge of caves to take more people to more places, thus why this trip is marked as intermediate. Please do not sign up unless you have been on AT LEAST 2 caving trips, preferably within the past 4 months. …
Hey y’all! “Trail magic” generally refers to unexpected acts of kindness/support towards hikers, but often it’s in the form of food. I always love to talk to & hang out w/ some thru-hikers & other hikers, so I figured a trail magic trip would be a good idea. We’re going to be along the Appalachian Trail, so there should be …
Kee cave is an awesome cave that neither Aidan nor I have been to before. We are working to expand our knowledge of caves to take more people to more places, thus why this trip is marked as intermediate. Please do not sign up unless you have been on AT LEAST 2 caving trips, preferably within the past 4 months. …
This is an INTERMEDIATE CAVING TRIP. Please do not sign up unless you have been on at least 2 other caving trips, preferably within the past 4 months. Will you be done with finals? Sticking around in Charlottesville a bit longer? Looking for something to do on the weekend? Come explore a cave with me. I have never been to …
dirt babies, Carve out a little time this fine Friday afternoon to prioritize mental health, fresh air and becoming the world’s next Alex Honnold at Cville’s best kept secret – Rivanna Wall. Rivanna Wall is a teeny tiny outdoor sport climbing crag with just two routes. The crag is also along a stretch of the Rivanna River, so we can …
Whats popping! You are formally invited to the illustrious shred-festival, the Dirtbag’s-reunion, the much-revered biannual CREEKATHON!! This is a time to wallow in comradery, to fester in fun, to devour all things grilled (vegan and non vegan snackies to be found). For those who have never been, Creekathon is a laid-back social cookout for all you forest-children at our nearby …
I’m too lazy to do a new trip description, so I’m using as much as I can from the last one I led…For the past year, I’ve been working my way through the VA section of the AT. With a goal to finish by the end of May, I’m trying to maximize mileage on short weekends, which means utilizing a …
The weather is warming up and looking good this weekend so it’s a great time to hike one of the most beloved trails, Old Rag. And with a beautiful sunset, how can you go wrong! Whether you’re an Old Rag veteran or a first-timer, all are welcome to join us! Old rag is a ~9ish mile loop with ~2,400ft in …
You wanna ride tougher trails but big hills scare you? This workshop is for you! We will be sessioning (riding repeatedly) a short downhill section near the Rivanna trail (it’s less than a mile away) while I coach everyone to build up their skills and confidence. If you have the willingness to learn and just a bit of bravery then …
Feeling excited the sun no longer sinks below the horizon at 5pm?? ME TOO!! To celebrate this newfound evening light Paulina and I are planning on bopping up old rag for a spectacular sunset hike this Monday. Whether you’re an old rag veteran or have never heard of this mysterious rock we want YOU to come join us! Old rag …
Hey y’all! Want to get outside and enjoy this beautiful spring weather? ME TOO so I’m thinking we do a classic McAfee Knob hike this Friday! The out-and-back trail is about 8 miles total with 1700 ft of elevation gain, so doable but will definitely be a good workout. https://www.hikingupward.com/JNF/McAfeeKnob/ Deetz: Meet at corner of Echols at 8:30AM Drive ~2 …
After meeting so many incredible young folks in Moab, I’ve decided to come out of trip leading retirement for an AT adventure. For the past year, I’ve been working my way through the VA section of the AT. With a goal to finish by the end of May, I’m trying to maximize mileage on short weekends, which means utilizing a …
Hey there gorge-ous girls – come spend this Saturday* touching some rocks with Eliza and I in the gorge-ous New River Gorge! Plus- get to spend the night in a cozy cabin right near the cliffs courtesy of my folks. The plan is to head out of Cville at 5 on Friday evening and drive the ~3 hours up to …